A second chance and thousand more (KTA)
by Zsocca
Summary: (Post-Predacons Rising) Starscream knew many sides of Megatron. But the one which patches his SIC up and takes care of his injuries was a yet not seen side of him. Well, until now. Megatron has started a new life. Starscream is skeptical. Can they restart what has gone wrong? Or old wounds never heal?


**Megatron and Starscream has one of the most interesting relationships in TFP, very complicated too. And to be honest I hate seeing this pair being abused with all that scrap that fanfictions and fanart produce. So I decided to set their story right and dig into their personalities a bit better.**

 **No pairing in this fic, okay? That's not why I'm writing this.**

 **Warnings: I do NOT own TFP or it's characters. Possible grammar errors and misspells.**

 **Side note to NovaShifter15** **: this is not the fic I mentioned before. This one has been stored in my drafts and I started this sooner than the one I've told you about. I hope it's okay to post this first. :)**

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Chapter 1: Sudden changes

...

The last thing what Starscream remembered was pain cutting through his whole body. He was tossed around, two predacons toying with him like he was a doll. And then darkness enveloped his processor and he didn't know what exactly happened after he had gone temporarily offline.

He wasn't dead, that was sure. Judging by the slowly returning pain in unison with his consciousness meant that he will awaken from emergency shut-down and will probably wish to go back to standby mode and enjoy the silence and peace of the darkness.

But like always, Primus was hating him for some reason and his optics onlined to see the grey ceiling of a damaged, old building. He couldn't recognize it but that wasn't the first thing he thought of. The pain he felt was oddly dull and he started wondering why.

Starscream tried to move his hands, flexing and stretching his claws. The clashing sounds were relieving and painful to his audio receptors at once. But at least he could _move_ them. He figured his legs can be moved as well, though only slightly because pain stabbed into them on more spots at once. His inner systems must bee damaged. Not a good start. How will he walk like this?

His wings! He cursed whoever threw him onto the ground with his back facing the floor, because he had no access to his wings at all and trying to move them sent various aches over his spinal strut. Better not stir then.

Starscream could only hope his wings were in one piece and not seriously injured. Without wings he was surely doomed. The chance of somebody finding him was close to zero because a small group of autobots and three predacons were the only inhabitants of this slagging planet and probably busy with their own work. Vehicons didn't count. They were surely under autobot command by now.

Starscream closed his optics and hissed curses quietly, his voice box still weak and strangled. If he ever walks away from here, he will avenge everything that has been done to him. He will hunt down the predacons and burn them alive in a smelting pit. Then he will find the autobots and snuff them all, leaving Knockout at last to make him suffer a bit longer for betraying his Commander. Oh, and there is Megatron.

Megatron will pay. He abandoned Starscream and deserted the Decepticon cause for what? Everything happened too quickly and Starscream couldn't comprehend what has changed his master so drastically from one moment to another. Megatron returned and announced that he quits. How can someone with such a responisbility in a war quit like that?! How dares he step back and disappear after everything he had done?!

Was Starscream struggling for nothing during all these eons? To see the proud decepticons fall like that? To hear his master say those words after everything he had promised from the very beginning? Was it worth it?

To lay here abandoned, alone, at the edge of death and left for scrap?

"You...will pay," Starscream's hands clenched into a fist. He had changed for the better after he received mercy from Lord Megatron when the seeker returned from being rogue and his gratitude was loyalty which he took seriously this time. And Megatron stepped on it when he abandoned the cause.

Starscream should have known that loyalty is never worth the price. Never.

Large, ground-shaking steps disturbed his fuming train of thoughts and Starscream's optics opened widely. He would recognize such mighty steps from anywhere. His spark started hammering loudly and the pain in his body suddenly became distant because his life was put as first priority. Pain can wait until he was safe and hidden, far away from the person who was approaching.

Starscream clawed into the ground and struggled to turn around. Every move made him feel like he was constantly being stabbed by swords, his frame was trembling and he struggled to pull his body forward and crawl as quickly as he can.

But the steps were getting closer and each moment quickened his sparkbeat. He will run out of time. He won't make an escape like this...

"I see you have awakened," a deep voice sounded from behind his back and Starscream jumped frightenedly. He turned his head to see the large freshly framed Megatron standing just a few feet farther and looking at the second in command with an unreadable expression.

The ex-warlord kept staring for a few silent seconds. What he saw was a broken, weak seeker, scared to death and probably wishing to be elsewhere right now. A pitiful sight of a once proud royal mech.

"L-Lord Megatron, I beg for your mercy...!" Starscream stuttered, barely forming the words comprehensibly, "Please, spare my spark Master...!"

Megatron made a displeased grimace and stepped closer, making the seeker crawl farther in horror.

"I'm not your Master anymore," Megatron finally corrected him and took another step closer.

Starscream was trembling so much that his plating clattered. The larger mech pitied him even more.

"I've resigned just a short while ago, remember?" Megatron knelt on one knee next to Starscream who couldn't crawl farther because of the debris and could only push his back against a larger piece of wall, fearing the worst.

Megatron held a hand out and the seeker defensively raised his arms over his head, ready for getting punched, hit or hurt in any other kind of way, but nothing happened.

The smaller mech waited a few seconds before opening his optics too peek out from behind his arms. Megatron was holding a cube of energon and looking at him in an annoyed way.

"Stop being so jumpy, Starscream," the ex-warlord held the cube closer, "Take it and drink."

Starscream was staring wide-eyedly at the cube, then at Megatron, then at the cube again and still hesitated to lower his arms. Was he dreaming? Was his processor playing a very bad game with him and he was only hallucinating? Was this reality at all?

Was he dead?!

"Don't make me impatient!" Megatron growled and pushed the cube against the seeker's arm, "Drink it or I will push it down your throat!"

At second thought the ex-warlord regretted raising his voice and turning his offer into a threat because his intention was completely different. But Starscream obeyed and quickly took the cube. It seems the usual old methods were still effective.

"What did you put in it?" Starscream sent mistrustful glares towards the surface of the gently glowing blue energon. When it comes to Megatron, you never know what to expect.

"Nothing what you should be afraid of," the ex-warlord almost looked offended, "If I wanted to offline you, I could have done it thousand times a long time ago."

"Why do you think I believe you?" the seeker narrowed his optics, searching for the signs of betrayal on Megatron's features but the warlord coldly pointed at Starscream's side.

"Who do you think had patched you up?"

Starscream fell into silence and looked over himself, noticing a makeshift patch on his left side, many others on his legs, and it felt like his wings were heavy from bandages as well. No, that can't be. Megatron is not the type who helps people. This is just a bad joke. Right? Right...?

"Why would you...? Don't think I'm stupid! Why would you do such a thing! I know you had planned something to do with me! What do you want from me?!" Starscream hysterically shrieked and almost spilled all the energon out from the cube.

Megatron slightly recoiled, inwardly trying to calm himself and forcing his temper to stay cool. Usually Starscream's unbearable attitude itself was able to piss him off and he couldn't help but snap without exact reason. But right now the last thing he wanted was a bad quarrel with the seeker.

"Answer me!"

The ex-warlord rolled his optics and released an impatient sigh. This will take a long while.

"I have no plans Starscream. Right now I have no picture of my future so I ensure you, I don't really know what I'm doing."

Starscream closed his mouth to think over what he just heard. The fear from before already faded away because it became clear that Megatron wasn't about to beat him up. Good news. But then what did he want? Why did he patch Starscream up? What was going on? How should the seeker react to begin with? Starscream was confused. He had no idea what to say or do. He was always ready to any kind of circumstances but this was beyond everything he had imagined. A helpful Megatron is a nonexistent Megatron.

"Well," Starscream ran a look over his patched body, then huffed disdainfully, "That's sure because it's visible you have no idea how to do proper medical treatment."

Megatron's eyebrow twitched and his optics burned with an intensive red light, signing that the seeker's comment just made it harder to hold back. The ex-warlord reminded himself of his vow to change his attitude for the better, but in the company of a wretch who can't even appreciate his help, he felt like he could make an exception and just choke Starscream and then he can save the attitude-change for later.

"You can't be such a fool to await a Knockout-quality medical treatment from me," Megatron replied with a grunt, his voice holding a hint of warning just to make sure the seeker notices the larger mech's disapproval.

"Indeed. I would be stupid to expect anything with _quality_ from you," Starscream couldn't resist the urge to throw rude remarks at his former master, earning a loud growl from Megatron.

The ex-warlord got a hold on his temper just in time and stood up instead of slapping the smaller mech in the face.

"You know Starscream, we wouldn't be talking and you wouldn't be able to speak to me like that if I didn't return to save you."

Starscream narrowed his optics and mistrustfully eyed his former master.

"You...returned for me?" the question itself sounded so surrealistic that it felt alien even.

"No exactly for you. But I found you at the verge of death beside my ripped apart throne. I could've left you there or snuffed your spark to put you out of your misery."

"Then why did you save me? You know what kind of person I am. Am I not threatening your existence if I'm online?"

Megatron turned around and brought a cube of energon for himself. Maybe drinking will sooth his anger. Dealing with Starscream has never been easy.

"Threatening? If you saw yourself from my place, you would think differently," Megatron chuckled. Yes, his second in command was a person to be afraid of but not in such a condition. At this very moment Starscream was absolutely helpless, "I saved you because I realized that everything wrong I had done is embodied in you."

The seeker almost spit the energon he was drinking out, making a puzzled grimace.

"What?"

"You heard me well."

"I'm afraid I can't follow..."

"When Unicron invaded my body, I lost control," Megatron sat down beside the seeker, making the smaller one squirm farther uncomfortably, "It was frustrating to see my own body which rightfully belongs to me being controlled by someone else and make me do things I wouldn't. I say no, yet I have no choice. I consider myself a strong willed mech yet it felt like I'm small in Unicron's shadow. I tried to use my wits but he outsmarted me. He was everywhere, leaving me no moment of peace. But I couldn't realize it's oppression until I was free again. Because even if I'm free of his direct control, his blood runs in my tubes and therefore I will never be free," the ex-warlord stopped to sip once more, "Life's irony isn't it?"

Starscream raised an eyebrow very high, not sure about where Megatron was going with this. This was the longest 'personal' conversation he ever had with his former master and he immediately learned more of Megatron's inner turmoil than ever during this Primus-forsaken war.

"I still fail to see how I come to the picture," the seeker mumbled.

Megatron glanced at him briefly, then focused his gaze back on the surface of his drink.

"I clearly announced the end of the decepticons, didn't I?"

"Um...yes?"

"Which meant, you became free."

Starscream stayed silent. Yes, he knew that. He immediately went to claim the throne but those stupid predacons almost offlined him right there like wild animals.

"...and?"

"When you awakened, you called me 'master'."

Starscream blinked several times, then realized his mistake. True. He did call him 'master'.

"Nah, bad habit," he made a dismissive handwave but Megatron raised a hand as a sign to stop.

"Not a bad habit. That's bad quirk. One which I've beaten into you and even if I say you are free, you will never be free because I've tied you with many other bad quirks. That is the oppression I've been speaking about. I look at you-," Megatron raised his look to face the seeker, "-and I see everything I've destroyed. And I think about your personality Starscream, not your beaten up frame, which is also, partly my fault."

"There is nothing wrong with my personality," Starscream huffed offendedly and put his empty cube down to fold his arms but the movement caused so much pain that he rather lowered his arms with a quiet hiss. No position was good. Megatron did an excellently horrible job at patching his former second in command up. Though what should he except from such large and clumsy hands that had never dealt delicately with anything before?

"Oh there is, Starscream," Megatron chuckled. How can the seeker not realize how annoying and unbearable himself is?

"Like you are the one to judge!" Starscream sent hateful glares towards the larger mech, "At least I'm not the one who started a war!"

"The war started for a better future."

"Really? Tell this to...who exactly? Because not a fragging bot lives here anymore!" Starscream pointed outside through the hole in the wall, no matter how the movement ached, "Is this the beautiful freedom and future you've dreamed about?"

"You talk like you weren't beside me and helping things turn for the worse."

"I'm not responsible for this! Everything is your fault and now you think you can just run away and live like nothing happened?!"

"You are just as responsible as I am. But unlike you, I'm not denying my part and I decided to change. I will find the path I've been always seeking," Megatron raised his voice warningly but Starscream didn't seem to care.

"If you are so full of autobot-like moral bullshit now, then go and join them, maybe they will forgive you and take you in!" the seeker sarcastically threw his hands up, "Primus knows you will even avoid court!"

"I'm not escaping from my trial!" Megatron grunted, feeling as his anger started to rise again, "And helping them would be the most humiliating thing I've ever done! But you still fail to comprehend Starscream, there are no factions anymore!"

"There _is_ a faction! The winning faction which Knockout so eagerly joined! We could have kept the decepticons alive! There was a chance and you blew it! When I finally offered my purest loyalty, you threw me away! You know what you are? The biggest disappointment of my life! If there is something you do perfectly, then it is ruining everything!"

Megatron was fuming, almost smoking from the fury that has been building up in him like hot lava ready to burst out. But this time not because of Starscream or how he said those things, but because they were true. Or was it true? Was Megatron unable to do anything but destroy? Did he become unable to do anything good? Was there chance for redemption or was he beyond recovery?

His large claws instinctively reached out and grabbed Starscream's shoulders, pinning him against the wall in a strong grip, burning red optics piercing through the frightened seeker who didn't expect an attack so suddenly.

"IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP IN THIS MOMENT, I SWEAR I WILL BREAK...!" but he didn't end his sentence because the seeker's optics stared up at him in horror, weak and long claws clutched his wrists, the slim, small body trembled, his wings painfully fluttering against the wall. Starscream had a good reason to believe he won't ever walk away from here after this.

The smaller mech withheld his breath as long as he could, unable to look away from the face of his oppressor. Megatron was the embodiment of pain, humiliation, hatred, fear and everything that hurt and haunted him in life and it was proved once again: the ex-warlord could never be trusted and will never change.

But then Megatron's features softened, the look which was clouded by anger cleared and realization reflected in his optics. He was doing it again. Like a neverending playback, it always ended like this. Quarrel with Starscream, snap at Starscream, beat up Starscream and a little humiliation can be incorporated as well.

Megatron wanted this to end once and for all.

Starscream watched in disbelief as the larger mech withdraws and distances himself. Megatron stood up, dusted himself and stopped to look down at his palms. It was grey like always but what he saw was a hand dirtied by the glowing energon of millions. Starscream belonged to them.

The seeker was curled up like a ball, wings lowered to the ground, hands defensively before him, frightened and confused optics staring at the former master, who refused to beat him up for some reason. Was this another hallucination? Or Megatron had a better idea to punish him?

"M-master, please I..." he started again and Megatron's look darkened and his hands clenched into fists.

"I'm not your Master," he said slowly, trying to keep the volume of his voice at a low level.

Silence settled on them, neither knowing what should be said. Then Megatron turned towards Starscream again, making the seeker flinch startledly.

"Both of us committed mistakes. I wish to close down the past and start anew. Are you willing to, Starscream?"

The seeker stopped trembling and his wings slightly rose higher. Was this a proposal? Was this an offer for cease-fire or peace? Megatron did stop afterall. It isn't a guarantee, but who knows what will happen if Starscream rejects.

"Fine. Lets start again," he answered, already regretting this choice. He had a choice, but like always, he just followed the rules of his oppressor.

...

Starscream had a rather interesting night. He was squirming restlessly while dreaming and he woke up every third hour to check where Megatron was.

The ex-warlord didn't leave the small room but stayed at his spot on the other side, sitting with his back against the wall. His red menacing optics and the few biolights of his body were the only visible parts of him which made him look scarier in the dark.

Starscream wanted to forget that his former master was there and watching like he hadn't got a better thing to do, but it was nearly impossible.

It has been a while since the seeker had such a bad sleep.

And an even more surprising morning.

The first thing he noticed was the fact that he was moving. He was moving, but not vertically. The he realized that he was being carried. And then he opened his optics and found himself looking up at the morning sky of Cybertron. In Megatron's hold.

"Wah! Put me down!" Starscream wanted to kick his legs and push the larger bot away but his movement only made him yelp in pain.

"I had told you not be so jumpy. I will drop you accidentally and a new injury would be very unfortunate," Megatron smirked with mirth, making Starscream pout and growl in discomfort.

"Where are we going?" the seeker folded his arms in a sulking way.

"To east."

"But where?!"

"That's not decided yet."

"Do you even have a slagging plan or will you just carry me through whole Cybertron without destination?!"

"I had also told you that I don't have any plans and in fact, yes. I'm going to carry you to the place you want to see."

"You-wait, what?" Starscream's optics opened ridiculously wide as he stared at an amused Megatron, "Does that mean I can choose the destination?"

"Yes. It think I'm speaking clearly."

The shock was evident on the seeker's face and he needed a few moments to get used to the thought. Megatron will take him wherever Starscream wants? That's new. And too good to be true.

"But before you think you can order me around, I'm merely doing a favor. So chose wisely before I change my mind," the ex-warlord added, immediately washing off the evil look which crept onto Starscream's face.

A minute of heavy silence followed, only Megatron's large steps caused noise.

"I...I would like to see Vos," the seeker finally spoke, staring into his lap with an unreadable expression.

Megatron wasn't surprised to hear that and to be honest, he could assume that the destination would be Vos. Of course Vos, what else? A seeker seeks his home there and only there. They may leave it but always return to their capital. Starscream had a very good reason to return too.

"As you wish," Megatron complied, earning an even more shocked expression from Starscream. The smaller mech was too unfamiliar with such words coming from his former master. This whole situation was just...so alien. It almost felt wrong.

"Are we not going to fly?" he asked after seeing that Megatron had no intention to leave the ground.

"Don't be stupid Starscream. You can't fly with injuries like yours and I highly doubt you would have enough strength to hold onto me in my alt-form during the whole journey.

Starscream frowned and muttered something incomprehensible to himself in a sulking way.

"Then...argh...could you _not_ carry me like I was a femme?" the seeker burst out angrily, "I don't care if this is the most careful way to carry me, I don't like it!"

Megatron raised an eyebrow, not annoyed rather amused. He had learned that sometimes it's better to take Starscream's whining as a joke so he won't get upset by the rude behavior.

"Is there something you like at all?" the larger mech quietly mumbled and put the seeker down, then knelt down and let Starscream crawl onto his back. Megatron held the thin thighs with his large hands beside his waist and started walking again.

"Much better," Starscream huffed.

"If you keep on whining about your comfort, I will leave you in the middle of this nowhere," Megatron growled, making the seeker shudder. He immediately scolded himself. Again. He said a threat. He has to change that.

Starscream looked around and disappointedly noted that they are truly in the middle of nowhere. Behind them buildings of a destroyed city could be seen, but only barely. They must have been coming from there. But what else was around? This was the Rust Sea. There was nothing here.

The seeker already regretted agreeing to this. On foot it will take weeks to get to Vos, assuming that Megatron knew the way. But what if they were just walking around, going to the wrong direction? Or they get lost? There was no energon out here!

More and more worrying thoughts popped up in his processor but when he glanced at Megatron's determined expression, he hardly believed his former master didn't think of such things.

It will work out right? Everything will be fine...At least he hoped.

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 **Okay, that's all for now. I will try to update this one in short chapters, maybe it will be updated more regularly that way though this theory of mine already failed at my other fics XD. Anyway, I hope you are interested enough to read more. Megatron and Starscream have a nice dynamic and always changing relationship which is way more than how people usually want to see it.**

 **Anyway, sorry for any OOC-ness, I hope they stayed in character. (It's hard to write Megs, he is just waaah)**

 **Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**

 **See you next time!**

 **-Zsocca**


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